Locally Grown

Mike Geller makes a business
out of his passion for organic food

By Amy Levin-Epstein

Mike Geller founded Mike’s Organic Delivery in January 2010 and in the process has brought new meaning to the term “local” food in Greenwich. Not only does Geller source his products from fifteen Hudson Valley and Southern Connecticut farms and deliver it to over 500 homes throughout Fairfield and Westchester Counties, but he’s a local boy himself, having attended Greenwich Country Day and then Brunswick before finishing his studies at Skidmore College. After stints in the music and advertising industries, Geller took a life-changing trip to Botswana, where he spent several months living—and eating—in the Kalahari Desert. “Here I was in a supermarket in Botswana looking at beautiful tomatoes and eggs that didn’t have to be refrigerated. Things tasted better and lasted longer,” recalls Geller. He not only found high quality food but also his calling—bringing produce of a similar superior standard to his hometown. After his trip, Geller spent time learning the ropes at several esteemed farms, including Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York (home to the famous farm-to-table eatery, Blue Hill Restaurant).

It was during this time that Geller began to combine his previous work experience with a more specialized knowledge of the farming industry. “Local and seasonal food tastes better, it has more nutrition and it typically has fewer bad things [like pesticides] on it,” says Geller. Today, this Greenwich kid-gone-good delivers packages directly to the current generation of Greenwich kids—and their families. “Ninety-eight percent of my clients are moms and families. I get e-mails from moms that say ‘My kid eats kale chips. It’s inspiring,’” says Geller. But because kids can’t live on kale chips alone, Geller also supplies recipes, customized to each order, which on any given week might include such seasonal treats as nectarines, zucchini, eggplant, strawberries and cherry tomatoes. Depending on the package they choose, clients can also order breakfast sausage, T-bone steaks, cheese, eggs, honey and homemade pesto. Aside from his goal of providing locally-sourced organic eats, Geller says he’s committed to the Greenwich community, by hiring from here (his first employee, Chris Kimball, graduated from Brunswick in 2007), supporting local charities like Kids in Crisis and working with area schools, including his alma mater GCD (they buy apples from him). Says Geller: “ You can’t get a more local business.” Visit www.mikesorganicdelivery.com